A standard lighting fixture, such as a recessed lighting fixture, is mounted in a ceiling and includes a mounting assembly having a light-emitting diode light source (“LED”). The LED is mounted to a heat sink, which is in a fixed position relative to a fixture shield of the mounting assembly. The LED emits a light beam transmitted through an optic (which is mounted in an optic housing) into a finishing trim. The face of the optic is generally representative of a light-emitting surface. However, if one or more optic accessories are interposed between the optic housing and the finishing trim, the light-emitting surface is considered to be the face of the last optic accessory through which the light beam passes prior to entering the finishing trim.
Typically, the optic accessories are stacked between the finishing trim and the optic housing to alter properties of the light beam, including beam size, beam shape, and beam color. In response to changing the number, size, and/or shape of the optic accessories, a gap formed between the optic housing and the finishing trim is increased. For example, as optic accessories are added, the overall general thickness of the optic accessories increases, which, in turn, causes the gap to increase. The larger the number of accessories, the larger the gap. Similarly, the thicker the accessories, the larger the gap.
The increased gap effectively causes the light-emitting surface to be displaced farther away from the ceiling inwards into the room, resulting in a light beam having a changed appearance in size and/or shape. Thus, one problem with current fixtures is that, depending on how many and which optic accessories are used, an increased gap between the optic housing and the finishing trim results in an inconsistent appearance of the light beam. Another problem with current fixtures is that the increased gap allows light to “spill” outside the finishing trim, causing a reduction in light output and fixture efficiency.